Capping apparatus



NOV. 27, 1934. TITUS CAPPING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 22, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet l [N VENTOR 0/v 0. 7770:

BY 4 AW HIS A TTORNEY Nov. 27, 1934.

L. D. TITUS CAPPING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 22, 1932 5 SheetsSheet 2 IIIHI INVENTOR LEO/V 0. 7771/5 HA5. A TTORINIE y Nov. 27, 1934.

L. D. TITUS CAPPING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 22, 1932 v 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 R5 Y m M m R MD. m N 1 w A Patented Nov. 27, 1934 CAPPING APPARATUS Leon D. Titus, Port Arthur, Tex., assignor to The Texas Company, N ewYork, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application December 22, 1932, Serial No. 648,342-

7 Claims.

This invention relates to an apparatus for attaching closures to containers and has par-. ticular reference to a device for sealing the openings of containers by compressing the flanges of metal closure caps, inserted in the filling opening of the container, against a corresponding flange on the container after the container has been filled.

It is a main object of the invention to provide an apparatus for the purpose stated which is capable of operating where there is very little space available for sealing the opening and which as accordingly suitable for attaching closures to containers in close proximity to corners, edges, spouts, handles, etc. which are commonly encountered in containers for materials, such as refined petroleum products.

It is a further object to provide an apparatus of this character which will efiectively retain the closure and the container in fixed relative position while the closure is being applied and which will avoid all tendency to rotate the closure with respect to the container during the closure applying operation.

It is a further object to provide a device which is constructed to perform the successive steps of moving the sealing mechanism to operative position and applying the sealing pressure in one continuous operation.

The above and other objects will be fully understood from the following description when considered in connection with the drawings in which:

Fig. l is a side elevational view of one form of the apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the sealing lever moved to its inoperative position.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing the parts moved to their operative positions.

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view on the line 55 of Fig. 4.

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 illustrate the successive posi-- tions' of the closure with respect to the container top during the application of the closure to the container.

Referring to the drawings, there is provided a suitable frame 10 mounted on a base 12 and carrying the three main elements of the mechanism, that, is, the capping mechanism 14, the table or can support 16 and the table operating lever 18. u

The table 16 for supporting the container is mounted on the frame 10 by means of an adjustable bracket 20 so that the elevation thereof may be made to correspond to the height of the can body. Vertical movement of the table 16 is effected through operation of the lever 22 engageable against the projection 24 secured to the table, lever 22 being pivoted to the bracket 6C 20 as at 26. The rearward end of the lever 22 is connected with the foot lever 18 by means of a link 28, adjustable in length to accommodate the various heights of the bracket 20 and table 16.

The capping mechanism 14 comprises a supporting bracket which may be adjustably mounted on the frame 10 and which carries the various operating elements of the capping tool. These elements include a drive shaft 32 which may be manually operated as shown or which may have a motor connected therewith for operation through one complete cycle as will be understood. The shaft 32 carries a bevelled drivinggear 34 which meshes with a cooperating gear 36 for producing rotation of the collar 38 and the shaft 40. The shaft 40 is keyed for rotation with the collar, the keyway permitting vertical movement of the shaft with respectto the collar. The shaft is normally maintained in its elevated position by means of a spring 42, the spring yielding to permit the shaft to be moved downwardly when a positive force is applied thereto. The shaft 40 extends through a suitable guide formed on the bracket 30 and terminates in an operating head 44 (Figs. 3 and 4) rigidly mounted on the shaft. The head 44 is formed with an eccentric recess 46 for receiving the upper enlarged end 48 of the rocking lever 50, the latter being supported by means of the ball and socket joint 52 on a tool body 60' forming an extension of the supporting bracket 30, the' support 52 permitting lateral rocking movement of the lever but preventing any vertical movement of this lever.

The recess 46 contains a plurality of cams 53, 54, 55 and 56 for controlling the position of the upper end of the lever 50. The cam 53 is formed with a relatively thin lower portion 53a and with a relatively thick upper portion 53b for causing the lever 50 to be shifted from the neutral position shown in Fig. 3, wherein the shaft 40 is in its upper position, to that shown in Fig. 4, wherein the shaft 40 has been depressed to its lower operative position and the lever 50 is in its operative position. The cam 55 is formed with a relatively thick lower portion 55a and a relatively thin upper portion 55b terminating substantially midway of the vertical height of the recess 46, the cam'55 maintaining the 1-10 64 of the seaming tool 66, the recess 62 accommodating movement of the seaming tool 66in all directions so that the seaming tool can-be brought into various positions adjacent the inner face of the outer ring 53. The. seaming tool 66 is provided with a central opening for receiving the lower barrel-shaped enlargement 68 formed on the rocking lever whereby the position of the tool is controlled by the position of lever. The interior of the tool body is cut away to.'accommodaterocking of the lever 501 to any of its operative positions as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

In order to provide longitudinal movement of the head 44 to its two extreme operative positions, the head is formed with a circular groove for receiving inwardly extending projections formed on the control lever 72. This lever is pivotally supported at 73 on an adjustable member carried by the bolt '74, the outer or free end of the lever 70 having a roller 76 maintained in contact .with the outer operative surface of a rotatable cam '78; The cam '78 is formed with one flat side which permits the lever '72 to move upwardly, whereby the head 44 is periodically moved to the inoperative position shown in Fig. 3. The remainder of the cam '78 is suitably formed to maintain the lever '72 in its lowered position, thus maintaining the head 44 in the lowered operative position shown in Fig. 4

during the major portion of the rotation of the cam ,78. The cam 78 is mounted on a shaft '19 which carries a large spur gear 80, the latter being enmeshed with a smaller gear 82 having approximately one-fourth the number of teeth of the larger gear 80, the gear wheel 82 being carried by the main drive shaft 32. Rotation of the shaft 32 thus produces corresponding'but reduced rotation of the cam "I8 which is translated into corresponding movement of the shaft 40 and head 44 and the parts controlled'thereby.

The present invention is designed to'beused with the metal cap formed with a cupped body portion and an outwardly and downward- 1y extending rim flange 81. The. opening 82 in the container body is formed with a flange 83 surrounding the opening and which supports the closure in the position shown in Fig. 7. The

seaming tool then moves the flanges of the closure and container body into sealed'relation as shown in Fig. 8.

, In the operation of the apparatus after a container has been filled a metal cap is inserted in the filling opening as shown in Fig. 7 so that the outwardly extending flange of the cap hooks over the flange of the container. A small amount of oil-proof soap-or other packing material may be applied to the underside of the flange 81, if desired. The filled container with the cap inserted in the opening is placed on the table 16 and through operation of the foot lever 18, the container is moved upwardly into such position that the upper edge of the closure 80 passes inside the ring .58 of the seaming tool.- At this time, the shaft 40 is in its upper position and the seaming tool 66 is in the central inoperative position shown in Fig. 3. The upward movement of the can body into the ring 58 forces the outwardly extending flange 81 of the closure down over the flange surrounding the opening in the can body. The shaft 32 is then rotated, causing the head 44 to be depressed through the instrumentality of the cam 78 so that the seaming tool 66 is moved to the position shown in Fig. 4. Further rotation of the shaft 32 produces a corresponding rotation of the shaft 40 and head 44 causing the rocking lever 50 and seaming tool 66 to take a circular path around the inner face ofthering 58 whereby the outer flange of the Z closure iscrimpedag'ain'st the flange on the container body as shown in Fig.8. After the shaft 32 and seaming tool 66 have been operated through a'few revolutions (four in the present construction), the flat side of the cam '78 appears above the free end ofthe lever 72 permitting the spring 42 to elevate the head 44 and move it to its inoperative position as shown in Fig. 3. The table 16 may then be depressed and the sealed can removed. I It will be noted that during the seaming operation the closure and container bodyare maintained against the stationary die or ring58 and that the inner die 66 is free to rotate in the head 60. The result is that there is little orno tendency to rotate the 'closure with respect to the container and produce defective seals during this operation.

Obviously many modifications andvariations of the invention, as hereinbefore set forth, may be made without departing from the spirit and scopethereof, and therefore, only such limitations should be imposed as are indicated in the appended claims. r I claim:

l. Ina capping tool, a seaming mechanism comprising an outer ring, an inner seaming tool movable radially'and circumferentially' of said ring, a guide for supporting said inner tool for movements substantially in a single plane, a rock ing lever on one end of which the seaming tool is mounted, a'rotatable and longitudinally movable head formed with an eccentric recess therein, adapted to engage the other end of said lever for moving said seaming tool radially to a position contiguous to said ring on longitudinal movement of said head and circumferentially with respect to's'aid ring, while maintained in said contiguous position, on rotation of said head and means for rotating and 'moving said head to actuate said lever and the seaming toolthereon;

2. In a capping tool, a shiftable and rotatable head formed with an eccentric recess therein, a rocking lever movably'mounted with, one end thereof in saideccentric recess, a seaming mechanism on the other endof said rocking lever operated by the shifting and, rotation'of' said head, a driving shaft, and means operated through the rotation of said shaft for causing said head to be shifted and rotated.

3. In a capping tool, a seaming mechanism comprising an outer stationary member and an inner movable member, a rocking lever for controlling the position of said inner member, a ball and socket joint for said rocking lever and means for applying force to said lever for movcontainer, the container having an opening therein and a flange about the periphery of said opening, the cap being inserted in the opening of the container and having a flange adapted to hook over the flange of the container, comprising a body member, an annular die carried by the body member adapted to be forced over the cap to crimp the flange of the cap over the flange of the container, an expanding roll carried by the body member adapted to be inserted in the cap, means for moving said roll in a circular path to expand the cap in said opening comprising a connecting member pivoted in said body member and connecting at one end with said roll, a rotatable shaft, a system of cams driven by said shaft adapted to engage said connecting member and to guide it in a circular path.

5. A device for attaching a metal cap to a container, the container having an opening therein and a flange about the periphery of said opening, the cap being inserted in the opening of the container and having a flange adapted to hook over the flange of the container, comprising an annular die adapted to be forced over the cap to crimp the flange of the cap over the flange of the container and an expanding die adapted to be inserted in the cap, a wabble motion operating member universally pivoted intermediate its length, means for producing relative radial and circumferential movement of one of said dies With respect to the other on movement of said operating member and means for applying power directly to said operating member. 1

6. A cap applying mechanism comprising an outer die, an inner die movable radially and circumferentially With respect to said outer die, a supporting head for supporting said dies, an operating member having a universal pivotal connection to said head and to said inner die, and means for tilting said operating member and rocking the same about its connection to said head for producing corresponding movement of said inner die.

7. In a capping tool, a longitudinally movable and rotatable head formed with a recess therein, a plurality of cams disposed Within said 'recess, a rocking lever having an end thereof disposed within the recess in said head and adapted to engage the several cams, a seaming tool on the other end of said rocking lever and means for rotating and moving said head longitudinally to cause the came to engage the end of the rocking lever and thereby cause the seaming tool to move in a circular path.

LEON D. TITUS. 

